I’m waiting for news that won’t even come today because it is too soon to know. It is like the week in August that stretched out forever as I waited for my biopsy report. Was it or wasn’t it? Yes, it was melanoma. It was superficial at best, caught early and I can breathe easier for another day. That week turned out to be the beginning of waiting in what I have come to recognize as a “sacred space.”

I am familiar with that term “sacred space”. I have heard it tossed around in religious settings these past few years. I wasn’t sure what it meant for me but since that week in August I have discovered my “ss”. I wasn’t even looking for it and I didn’t recognize it until it arrived. And arrive it did. It was totally unexpected and yet so obvious as I agreed with God. “Yep, so this what it is and this is where I am.”

Now I don’t claim to have the last word on “ss”. Yours may look differently than mine but I can assure you I have been there and I found myself waiting on God for answers. The dictionary helped me defining this space as; worthy of respect, made or declared Holy, set apart and honorable. These words make more sense to me now that I spent some time in my “Sacred Space”.

It was in September when John and I found ourselves wrestling in an arena totally unfamiliar to us. It was a time in our lives we had not experienced before and we did not have the resources to combat it on our own. We reached out and we received help that left me wondering, “Would our life ever return to normal again?” I was alone…I was afraid…I was angry…I was worried…AND I experienced the goodness of a “sacred space” tailor made for me.

It was quiet and private. It was intimate and contemplative. It was discovery. I waited and I reached for My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers where I felt grounded in God’s word and His love for me. I had not visited this devotional book for years and yet I found comfort and peace as I read my notes from years past with the promises of God’s presence in my life. It was good.

I did not invite many others into this “ss”, just a few. I realized I did not have the energy or the words to explain where I was and why. It was a cloistered place to search my heart for the “what if’s” that crept into my life daily. I was seeking, praying, asking and holding this space as holy. So when others started to email or to call me on the phone to inquire, it felt like an intrusion into my sacred space. It wasn’t until my friend reminded me that Jesus invited just 3 others to join Him in the Garden. The rest of His disciples were not asked to come at His time of dire need. He chose just a few into this space with Him. I chose as well and it was OK. All the others were not welcomed at this time.

I have since moved out of that space and life has returned to a semblance of order. Yet I am reminded and I do not want to forget over the holidays that I can carve out my sacred space and I can decide who enters to wait and to pray with me. Ironically (in some ways) the wait is over as we celebrate the birth of God’s only Son. He is here and He is with me!

My hope is that you reflect on whom you want to be with during this holiday season. My hope is that you will find your “sacred space” to renew your spirit with Jesus. My hope is you will discover that whatever or whoever you are waiting for this holiday will most definitely be worth the wait.

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Mary Jane Hamilton has grown to love her sense of style and her peaceful lake living. Mother of 2 and grandmother of 6, she has a wonderful capacity to love and is still active as The Tooth Fairy. She is extremely fond of her dachshunds, who rarely venture from her lap, and enjoys biking with her husband of 44 years. She is rekindling her writing skills and finding it life giving. &nb
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Dear Mary Jane, A honoring sharing of hard places you are traveling. I love allowing yourself to protect your heart and hold your unfolding story close. Thank you for inviting us in and still protect your need for privacy. Love Valerie

Thank you so much for clearing my understanding of the guidelines attached to a Sacred Space. Reflecting on the past times when those I’ve tried to comfort retreated from my involvement I now better understand the need for fewer instead of more comforters. May God continue to encourage you to retreat into your s.s. as often as possible in order for Him to draw you close to His side and love on you in His tender & comforting way.
Thank you for sharing your experience. We all can benefit from retreating into our s.s. with Jesus. The more often the better! Ps I’ve been married 44 yrs too.

Thanks for this glimpse into your practice of being in a sacred space. Oh, how I long to enter and dwell there easily! My life allows very little private space these days, and, at times, this feels claustrophobic. But a sacred space is more a heart attitude than a physical reality, no? Thank you for taking the time to put to words your experiences for us here.

Your words “sacred space” sound so caring and intentional – choosing who will join you in that space, so kind. The permission you give yourself to just be where you are and who you are…is nothing less then life giving.